The Browns have spent most of the offseason under a spotlight that’s been fixed elsewhere - the quarterback competition, the rebuilt offensive line, all the noise that comes with both. But there’s another question sitting in plain sight, and it may end up mattering just as much.
What does Cleveland’s rushing attack actually look like under Todd Monken?
That’s the real puzzle. Monken has never been the kind of coach who forces one rigid system onto every roster.
He’s used zone and gap concepts, and he’s adjusted how the carries are split depending on the backs in front of him. So while Quinshon Judkins sits at the top of the Browns’ depth chart entering his second season, the rest of the picture is still fuzzy.
Dylan Sampson, also in his second year, would seem to be next up after starting two of 15 games last season. Raheim Sanders, who played in four games and started one, looks like the third option. But none of that settles the bigger issue: who does what, and how much of the load can one back really handle?
Judkins had a solid rookie season, but he’s also coming off a dislocated ankle and fractured fibula from Week 16. He took part in the offseason program and is expected to be ready for Week 1, though injuries like that can take time to fully shake off.
Production is part of the concern, too. Judkins ran 230 times for 827 yards and seven touchdowns, but a 3.6 yards-per-carry average is hard to live with in the NFL. And for Monken, the first big call in this backfield is obvious: how many carries can Judkins take each game and still stay at 4.0 yards per carry or better?
The answer matters because Judkins faded late. He opened the season with a 4.8 yards-per-carry average or better in three of his first four games, then only hit 4.0 once after that.
He also dipped below 2.0 twice. That wasn’t just a Browns problem, either.
At Ohio State in 2024, he averaged under 4.0 yards per carry in five of nine conference games while sharing the workload with TreVeyon Henderson.
Judkins brings power, not breakaway speed. He’s more of a thumper than a runner who’s going to pop 50- and 60-yard gains on a regular basis. That’s supposed to be Sampson’s lane, but Cleveland didn’t really see that kind of explosiveness from him last year, either.
Sampson averaged 4.0 yards per carry only twice last season, not counting one game in which his lone carry went for 19 yards. Where he did flash was as a receiver. He caught 33 passes for 271 yards and scored two receiving touchdowns.
Sanders, meanwhile, had 27 carries for 92 yards, good for 3.4 yards per carry. He scored his only rushing touchdown in Week 1, when Judkins was suspended, and then faded from the picture.
The Browns also lost Jerome Ford this offseason, and his 2025 numbers had already dropped off significantly. Even so, he had been a reliable backup behind Nick Chubb in previous seasons. Right now, that kind of safety net doesn’t seem to exist on Cleveland’s roster.
At this point, Sampson looks more like a pass-game weapon than a true No. 2 back who can carry the offense if the starter misses time. And if Judkins isn’t built to handle every down on his own, the Browns may need to keep shopping.
That could mean a free agent or trade addition before the season starts. Nick Chubb has already left the door open for a return, saying, "You never know what can happen," at a recent event in Cleveland. At 30, he doesn’t look like a starter anymore, but he could still serve as a high-volume backup and help keep Judkins fresh enough to avoid a steep drop in efficiency.
Other available options that could fit include Najee Harris, Joe Mixon, Antonio Gibson, Raheem Mostert, Alexander Mattison and Miles Sanders, and most of them are projected to cost no more than $1.5 million per season.
Alvin Kamara is another name to watch. At 30, a trade wouldn’t be out of the question, especially with the expected compensation being a third-day pick and his base salary for the final year of his contract sitting below the $1.5 million mark.
Monken has reason to keep his backfield options open. As it stands, this doesn’t look like a finished product. And even though it has been sitting there all offseason, it’s the Browns question that’s managed to stay mostly out of the conversation.
In Other News...
Former Browns First Round Pick Already Drawing Harsh Giants Buzz
Greg Newsome IIs next stop is already creating a buzz that Browns fans know all too well. The former Cleveland first-round corner signed a one-year deal with the Giants after a brief run in Jacksonville, and the conversation around him has quickly shifted from pedigree to whether his recent play can hold up in a tougher spotlight.
Newsomes recent numbers have fueled the skepticism, with his passer ratings allowed climbing in each of the last two seasons and some around the league wondering if the Giants are buying a bounce-back that may not come. Cleveland, meanwhile, has reason to feel good about how its own cornerback shuffle has played out after bringing in Tyson Campbell, whose fit and contract structure have looked increasingly favorable for the Browns. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Suddenly Have A Tough Dawand Jones Decision To Make
The Browns offensive line is headed for a reset in 2026, and that leaves Dawand Jones in a more precarious spot than he has occupied before. With several former starters no longer in the picture, Cleveland has to sort through who fits where, and Jones is no longer just a familiar depth piece in that conversation. His role as a swing tackle still matters, but it is also the kind of spot that can change quickly when a team starts reworking the edges of its line.
Austin Barber is part of what makes this decision feel so unsettled, because the rookie is already in the mix to push for the backup tackle job. If Cleveland decides Jones is more valuable elsewhere, there should be interest from teams with obvious tackle needs, including the Lions, Chiefs and Packers. For the Browns, the question is whether they want to keep betting on a player with a shaky hold on the job or see what the market says before the offseason gets away from them. [Read more 🡒]
Myles Garrett May Have Overshadowed A Huge Browns Defensive Development
Mason Graham did not arrive in Cleveland with the kind of spotlight that usually follows a top defensive tackle, but his rookie season gave the Browns something real to build on. He started all 17 games, held up as a steady presence inside and showed enough pass-rush juice to suggest he can be more than just a space-eater, even while the attention around the defense stayed fixed on Myles Garrett.
Garretts move to the Rams changes the conversation around Clevelands front, and it also changes the opportunity in front of Graham. He already showed he could create interior pressure, especially after Maliek Collins went down in the second half of the season, and the Browns even used him in a more flexible role with snaps outside the tackle. If there is a quiet candidate to take a bigger Year 2 step and help absorb some of what Garrett leaves behind, Graham is suddenly in the middle of that discussion. [Read more 🡒]